last update: November 30, 2014

Italian version

Open Programmer v0.9.x

An open source USB programmer for PIC micros, ATMEL micros, I2C-SPI-MicroWireOneWire-UNIO EEPROMs, generic I2C/SPI devices and (soon) other devices

Quick facts
Another programmer?
USB & HID firmware
Control programs
GTK graphical interface
MFC Graphical interface
Command-line interface
How to ...
Supported devices
Communication protocol
The circuit
Voltage regulator
How to contribute
Download
History
Links
Contacts

Quick facts

Completely free and Open Source (including firmware)

Programs PIC10-12-16-18-24, dsPIC30-33, ATMEL AVR (serial and HV serial

programming), serial EEPROMs type 24xxxx (I2C), 25xxx (SPI), 93xx6 (MicroWire),
DS24xx (OneWire), 11xxx (UNIO), communicates with generic I2C & SPI devices
(see supported devices)

Can work as ICD debugger

USB 2.0 Full Speed interface, HID class (same as keyboards, mice, etc.)

Self powered

Doesn't need drivers

Built from easy to find components (estimated cost ~10)

Hardware generated timings for maximum speed and reliability (writes a 18F2550 in
15s)

Doesn't saturate your CPU and doesn't suffer when other programs are running

Open source control programs for Linux and Windows

It's not another PicKit clone

Picture of a prototype:

Another programmer?
In the last few years, as serial and parallel interfaces have almost disappeared, electronics
enthusiasts find even more difficult to program microcontrollers; old time programmers don't
work any more; common solutions include using USB to serial adapters (which can't accept
direct access but only slow API calls), or add-on interface chips, like FTDIxxxx, which appear
substantially as serial interfaces and require custom or proprietary drivers.
So why not use PIC controllers and their native USB interface?
After searching a while I couldn't find an USB programmer which was at the same time
functional, free, and open source, so I decided to design one.
Open source means that all sources and schematics are given free of charge with the rights to
modify and release them.

USB & HID firmware (v0.9.0)

In order to use the USB interface included in some PIC devices we need a firmware that
implements one of the classes defined by the USB consortium or a new one; I opted for the
HID class, which is supported natively by all operating systems and so doesn't need any
driver. Maximum allowed speed is 64KB/s, although with my application I measured
something in the range 20-40 KB/s, certainly enough to program devices with memory of
100KB at most.
Like all USB devices this one too has a vid and a pid; these are usually obtained under
payment, but since I don't have any money to waste and I'm not selling a commercial product
I used the default Microchip vid and a pid of choice: 0x4D8&0x100; anyways it's possible to
configure both, so I leave the choice to the user.
The programmer appears to the system as a HID device that exchanges 64 bytes packets every
1 ms.
The USB firmware comes from a nearly unknown open source project, written by Alexander
Enzmann, which I modified and adapted to the MCC18 compiler.
I wrote a brief guide on how to use it; to my knowledge this is the only open source firmware
with HID support and GPL license.
My programmer code simply adds a command interpreter that drives the microcontroller's
outputs according to a set of instructions.
The main control cycle waits for a packet from USB, then executes commands in sequence
while managing communication tasks; at the same time a control function is called
periodically by a timer interrupt and keeps the DCDC regulator output voltage constant.
Building the project requires only free programs: MPLAB and MCC18 student version, which
are unfortunately only available for the windows (in)operating system.
It's certainly possible to compile with SDCC, but some changes are needed to the source code.
Everything is given under the GPL2 license.
Here is the complete MPLAB project, here the hex file only.
Here a version (0.8.0) for 18F2450 (with reduced functionality, see the circuit).

Control programs
I initially thought of modifying an existing software, for example winpic or picprog, but I
found it would be too difficult because I use packetized communications instead of serial; so I
had to write one (two) from scratch.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, since I'm not a professional programmer I kept features at
minimum; the result are very small but fast programs that don't use your CPU for nothing.
For most devices the code is verified while programming; for the others immediately
following the writing phase.
Ideally you should have the same version number for both software and firmware, except for
the last number which indicates minor changes and bug fixes; however I tried to keep the
same protocol with each release, so that apart from new features it is often possible to use new
software with older firmware and vice versa.
In case you wonder, the reason why it's not possible to program directly from MPLAB is not
technical: Microchip does not release specifications of how to interface with its program; if
you want them you have to be a commercial manufacturer and sign a non disclosure
agreement, which is clearly impossible for a GPL2 open source project.
On the contrary, integration with Piklab is possible and I hope will be done soon; right now

the custom programmer interface lacks some essential parameters, but whoever has the ability
and time can fix it for sure.
GTK graphical interface for Windows and Linux (v0.9.1)
OPGUI uses the GTK libraries so under Windows it's necessary to install the GTK Runtime
Environment.
A screenshot of Opgui:

A quick guide: buttons to read, write, load and save files are on the toolbar.
The "Data" tab shows what the programmer is doing.
On the "Device" tab it's possible to choose the device and modify some programming options,
such as writing ID and calibration words, using the eeprom etc.; only settings compatible with
the current device are considered.
Under "Options" are various general settings: USB connection, errors, log file, expansion
boards; using the "Hardware Test" function and a voltmeter is possible to check that the
circuit is working.
The "I2C/SPI" tab is useful for communicating with generic I2C and SPI devices; in case of
I2C it's always necessary to specify the control byte (and address, if not zero); RW bit is
handled automatically.
For example, to write manually 3 bytes on a 24xx16 at address 64 write: A0 40 1 2 3
From version 0.7.10 it is included an ICD debugger, working more or less like pdb; in
addition it supports coff files.
The "I/O" tab allows to control individual I/O lines and the power supplies.
Under "Utility" there are functions to convert a single hex line to data and vice versa.
There is no installer since there aren't any libraries and the executable is very small.
The program accepts hex8 and hex32 files, and also binary files in case of serial memories.
Supported languages are currently English and Italian; to add other languages it's necessary to

generate the languages.rc file (-langfile option) and to modify it; the language id is before the
respective strings, enclosed in square brackets [].
The language is chosen at startup by matching the system language (it can also be forced with
-lang).
To enable access to the programmer under Linux see chapter Command line interface.
You can find more info on the OpenProg and Opgui user's guide or in the source code guide.
To compile the program from source (optional) you need to install the GTK libraries, GCC
and the maketools (MinGW/MSYS in Windows); then write:
> make
To install it under Linux(if you wish):
> make install
Download the compiled program ... or the sources.
Graphical interface for Windows (v0.9.1)
OpenProg is a C++ application written with Visual C++ 6 and MFC.
A screenshot of OpenProg:

Only the basic programming functions are implemented; it was the fist GUI of the project, but
currently development continues on OPGUI, so it may be dismissed in the future.
It has the advantage of working without any additional library.
Usage is the same as OPGUI; works with XP, VISTA, 7, 8.
Command-line options are:
-d <device> , selects a target
-r <file name> , reads the target and writes to file
-w <file name> , writes a file to the target
-gui , do not exit after writing or reading (only if -w or -r are specified)
You can find more info on the OpenProg and Opgui user's guide or in the source code guide.
It may be of interest the fact that the DDK (driver development kit) is not required for
compilation; I link explicitly to the system library hid.dll and manually load the functions
needed.
Download application ... or sources (Visual Studio 6 workspace)

Command-line utility (Linux and Windows, v0.9.1)

OP is a command-line executable; the Windows version doesn't need installation;
the Linux version searches the programmer between devices /dev/usb/hiddevX (or the one
specified as parameter) and needs reading rights for it.
eg. >sudo chmod a+r /dev/usb/hiddev0
To permanently enable a user do the following (on Ubuntu and other Debian based
distributions, check for others):
as root create a file /etc/udev/rules.d/10-openprogrammer.rules
if you want to enable a user group write:
KERNEL=="hiddev[0-9]", ATTRS{idProduct}=="0100", ATTRS{idVendor}=="04d8",
GROUP="<group>", SYMLINK+="openprogrammer"
where <group> is one of the user groups (to get a list type "groups"); select a suitable group
and if your user desn't belong to it execute "addgroup <user> <group>"
or, if you want to enable all users, change reading permissions:
KERNEL=="hiddev[0-9]", ATTRS{idProduct}=="0100", ATTRS{idVendor}=="04d8",
MODE="0664", SYMLINK+="openprogrammer"
restart udev to apply changes:
> udevadm control --reload-rules
> udevadm trigger
Now, every time the system detects the programmer, the corresponding /dev/usb/hiddevX has
the correct permissions and also the link /dev/openprogrammer is created.
If after plugging the device /dev/usb/hiddevX is inexistent (and LED2 doesn't blink at 1 Hz),
it's sufficient to execute a few times lsusb to force enumeration, or unplug and replug the
cable.
If not otherwise specified OP looks for an USB device with vid&pid=0x4d8:0x100.
It supports hex8 and hex32 files, and also binary files in case of serial memories.
Using the --HWtest option and a voltmeter is possible to check that the circuit is working.
It is possible to communicate with generic I2C/SPI devices; in case of SPI it's always
necessary to specify control byte and address (or addresses); the RW bit is handled
automatically.
In case of problems or just for curiosity it's possible to save all data exchanged with the
programmer with option -l; its optional parameter must be specified with -l=<file> (who
knows why? It may be a bug of getopt).
Supported languages are currently English and Italian; more languages can be added by
generating and modifying the file languages.rc.
Options:
-BKosccal
load BKosccal from file
-calib
load calibration from file
-command <message>
send <message> to the programmer and exit
-cwX <cw>
force config word X
-d, device <dev.>
device
-ee
use eeprom
-err <max>
max errors during writing
-fuse <val>
write fuse low byte (Atmel only)
-fuseh <val>
write fuse high byte (Atmel only)
-fusex <val>
write extended fuse byte (Atmel only)

-h, help
help
-HWtest
hardware test
-i, info
informations about programmer
-i2c_r <N Ctr Addr>
read N bytes from I2C bus
-i2c_r2 <N Ctr Addr(2)>
read N bytes from I2C bus (16b address)
-i2c_w <N Ctr Addr Data> write N bytes to I2C bus
-i2c_w2 <N Ctr Addr(2) Data>
write N bytes to I2C bus (16b address)
-i2cspeed <speed>
set I2C speed: 0=100k,1=200k,2=400k,3=800k"
-icd <val>
enable ICD (goto address)
-id
use ID
-l, log [=file]
save log
-lang <language>
load <language> strings
-langfile
write all strings to file
-lock <val>
write lock byte (Atmel only)
-mode <mode>
SPI mode: 00,01,10,11
-osccal
loads osccal from file instead of using the value saved before
erase
-p, path <path>
programmer path [/dev/usb/hiddev0]
-pid <pid>
programmer pid [0x100]
-r, reserved
read reserved area
-rep <n>
report size [64]
-s1, S1
Multiple programming triggered by S1
-s, save <file>
save Ihex file
-se, saveEE <file>
save EEPROM on Ihex file (ATxxxx only)
-spi_r <N>
read N bytes from SPI bus
-spi_w <N Data>
write N bytes to SPI bus
-spispeed <speed>
set SPI speed: 0=100k,1=200k,2=300k,3=500k" NL
-support
supported devices
-use_BKosccal
copy BKosccal to osccal
-v, version
version
-vid <vid>
programmer vid [0x4D8]
-w, write <file>
write Ihex file
-we, writeEE <file>
write EEPROM on Ihex file (ATxxxx only)
Examples:
> op -h
> op -d 18F2550 -ee -s read.hex
> op -d 16F628 -ee -w write.hex
> op -i2c_r 8 A0 0
address 0

#help
#reads code and EEPROM and saves to file
#writes
#reads 8 bytes from I2C bus, control byte A0,

A frequent error is to write the device name with lowercase letters instead of uppercase:
write 16F628, not 16f628
A makefile is included, so to build the application you need GCC and the maketools
(MinGW/MSYS on Windows); write:
> make
Then to install it (if you wish):
> make install

You can find more info in the source code guide.

Also included is Hid_test, an utility to send and receive a single 64 bit packet; it can be useful
for experimenting with the hardware; in theory one could even write a complete programming
script using it.
Download

How to ...
Erase a device: every device is erased before being programmed; however if you still need to
erase it it's sufficient to write a hex file with valid data (i.e. <0xFF) beyond the implemented
memory.
For example, for PIC12-16:
:020000040000FA
:0144010000BA
:00000001FF
And for PIC18:
:020000040002F8
:020000000000FE
:00000001FF
Change Configuration Word: Config words are usually specified in the hex file, but can be
forced for PIC 10-12-16-18 using the related device options (or via command line).
It's also possible to recompile sources, otherwise to change the hex file directly; in case of
most PIC16 the config word is at address 0x2007, which is stored at 0x400E; the last byte of
the line is a checksum, which can be calculated as the two's complement of the sum of all
bytes in the line.
For example:
:02400E00xxxxCC , where xxxx is the new value and CC the checksum
Change configuration of Atmel AVR: unlike PICs, these devices do not map their
configuration words in the main memory area (so the hex files don't specify any
configuration) and it's necessary to write the desired Fuse/Lock bytes in the device options;
don't write anything in case the default value is fine for the application.
Solve the "Synchronization error" with AVR devices: A possible cause is that the SPI
speed is too high in relation to the CPU speed; the latter has to be > 4 x SPI speed.
There are many possible CPU speed configurations, so the (new) algorithm varies the SPI
speed automatically in order to enter Program Mode.
Obviously the lower the speed the longer it takes to read/write the device; in order to speed up
operations you could write an empty file with a fast CPU configuration, then write the final
file and configuration at high speed.
Some devices include an extremely low speed setting (16 kHz), which is too low even for the
adaptive algorithm; in this case use "write Fuse Low @ 3 kHz" to change Fuse Low to a
higher speed setting, then write in the usual way.
Another cause could be that the serial programming is disabled: this can be done only using a
parallel programmer, and the same is necessary to enable it again.
The third possibility is that the device is configured for external resonator but X2 cannot
move; in case you use the AVR expansion board make sure X2 is not tied to GND.

Check that a device is blank: read it and look at displayed data; only lines with valid data
are displayed, so if there are none the device is blank.
Verify that a write was successful: all write algorithms implement write verification, either
during write or immediately after; if the program reports 0 errors it means that the code was
succesfully verified.
If you want to check again you can read the device and compare with the original data; keep
in mind that frequently not all bits are implemented; for example in PIC16 a data word is 14
bits long, so even if the source data is 0xFFFF it will be written as 0x3FFF; also the Config
Words usually have some bits fixed at 0, which are not checked.
Read the reserved memory area: most PIC devices have a reserved area above the Config
Words which is used for test or calibration purposes; to see it use the relative option before
read; on PIC24-30-33 the executive memory is read as well.
Correctly use OscCal and other calibration words: some devices (eg. 12F5xx) store the
internal oscillator calibration value in the last address of program memory and in a backup
location past the ID words; after erasing all memory the control programs restore the
calibration value taking it from the backup location, unless specified otherwise; other options
are: use the old value (which should be the same as the backup, if none was changed before),
use what is specified in the .hex file.
Similarly it's possible to overwrite the backup value with the content of the .hex file, using
option "write ID and BKosccal"; in this case the ID locations will be written as well, if
specified in the .hex file.
To overwrite the other calibration values use option "write Calib1 and 2".

Supported devices
I tried this programmer with a small number of devices (those I own plus some tested by other
users) indicated in bold; the other devices are supported but not tested; however, considering
that for every device family at least one has been verified, all of them should work without
problems.
Please let me know if you verify operation with the untested devices.
Also contact me if you need other algorithms or code new ones by yourself.
Take notice:
LF series PICs are used exactly as the F ones;
Atmel AVR devices with varius suffixes are grouped together whenever the programming
algorithm is exactly the same, eg. ATmega8 and ATmega8A;
EEPROM memories comprise all versions with VDDmax=5V, eg. 242LC56, 24AA256, etc.;
93x memories use 2 different algorithms, for the 93S series and for all the others, indicated
with 93x (93xA have 8 bit organization).
devices supported for read and write:
10F200, 10F202, 10F204, 10F206, 10F220, 10F222, 10F320, 10F322,
12C508, 12C508A,12C509, 12C509A, 12F508, 12F509, 12F510, 12F519,
12F609, 12F615, 12F617, 12F629, 12F635, 12F675, 12F683,
12F752, 12F529T39, 12F529T48,
12F1501, 12F1571, 12F1572, 12F1612, 12F1822, 12F1840,
16F505, 16F506, 16F526, 16F527, 16F54, 16F57, 16F570, 16F59,
16F610, 16F616, 16F627, 16F627A, 16F628, 16F628A, 16F630, 16F631, 16F636, 16F639,

16F648A, 16F676, 16F677, 16F684, 16F685, 16F687, 16F688, 16F689, 16F690,

16F707, 16F716, 16F72, 16F720, 16F721, 16F722, 16F722A, 16F723, 16F723A, 16F724,
16F726, 16F727, 16F73, 16F737, 16F74, 16F747, 16F753, 16F76, 16F767, 16F77, 16F777,
16F785,
16F818, 16F819, 16C83, 16F83, 16F83A, 16C84, 16F84, 16F84A, 16F87, 16F870, 16F871,
16F872, 16F873, 16F873A, 16F874, 16F874A, 16F876, 16F876A, 16F877, 16F877A,
16F88, 16F882, 16F883, 16F884, 16F886, 16F887,
16F913, 16F914, 16F916, 16F917, 16F946,
16F1454, 16F1455, 16F1459, 16F1503, 16F1507, 16F1508, 16F1509, 16F1512, 16F1513,
16F1516, 16F1517, 16F1518, 16F1519, 16F1526, 16F1527, 16LF1554, 16LF1559, 16F1574,
16F1575, 16F1578, 16F1579, 16F1613, 16F1614, 16F1615, 16F1618, 16F1619, 16F1703,
16F1704, 16F1705, 16F1707, 16F1708, 16F1709, 16F1713, 16F1716, 16F1717, 16F1718,
16F1719, 16F1782, 16F1783, 16F1784, 16F1786, 16F1787, 16F1788, 16F1789, 16F1823,
16F1824, 16F1825, 16F1826, 16F1827, 16F1828, 16F1829, 16F1847, 16LF1902, 16LF1903,
16LF1904, 16LF1906, 16LF1907, 16F1933, 16F1934, 16F1936, 16F1937, 16F1938,
16F1939, 16F1946, 16F1947,
18F242, 18F248, 18F252, 18F258, 18F442, 18F448, 18F452, 18F458, 18F1220, 18F1230,
18F1320, 18F1330, 18F13K22, 18F13K50, 18F14K22, 18F14K50, 18F2220, 18F2221,
18F2320, 18F23K20, 18F23K22, 18F2321, 18F2331, 18F2410, 18F24J10, 18F24J11,
18F2420, 18F24K20, 18F24K22, 18F2423, 18F2431, 18F2439, 18F2450, 18F24J50,
18F24K50, 18F2455, 18F2458, 18F2480, 18F2510, 18F25J10, 18F25J11, 18F2515,
18F2520, 18F25K20, 18F25K22, 18F2523, 18F2525, 18F2539, 18F2550, 18F25J50,
18F25K50, 18F2553, 18F2580, 18F25K80, 18F2585, 18F2610, 18F26J11, 18F26J13,
18F2620, 18F26K20, 18F26K22, 18F26J50, 18F26K50, 18F26J53, 18F2680, 18F26K80,
18F2682, 18F2685, 18F27J13, 18F27J53, 18F4220, 18F4221, 18F4320, 18F43K20,
18F43K22, 18F4321, 18F4331, 18F4410, 18F44J10, 18F44J11, 18F4420, 18F44K20,
18F44K22, 18F4423, 18F4431, 18F4439, 18F4450, 18F44J50, 18F4455, 18F4458, 18F4480,
18F4510, 18F45J10, 18F45J11, 18F4515, 18F4520, 18F45K20, 18F45K22, 18F4523,
18F4525, 18F4539, 18F4550, 18F45J50, 18F45K50, 18F4553, 18F4580, 18F45K80,
18F4585, 18F4610, 18F46J11, 18F46J13, 18F4620, 18F46K20, 18F46K22, 18F46J50,
18F46K50, 18F46J53, 18F4680, 18F46K80, 18F4682, 18F4685, 18F47J13, 18F47J53,
18F63J11, 18F63J90, 18F64J11, 18F64J90, 18F65J10, 18F65J11, 18F65J15, 18F65J50,
18F65J90, 18F65K80, 18F66J10, 18F66J11, 18F66J15, 18F66J16, 18F66J50, 18F66J55,
18F66J60, 18F66J65, 18F66J90, 18F66J93, 18F67J10, 18F67J11, 18F67J50, 18F67J60,
18F66K80, 18F67J90, 18F67J93, 18F83J11, 18F83J90, 18F84J11, 18F84J90, 18F85J10,
18F85J11, 18F85J15, 18F85J50, 18F85J90, 18F8520, 18F86J10, 18F86J11, 18F86J15,
18F86J16, 18F86J50, 18F86J55, 18F86J60, 18F86J65, 18F86J72, 18F86J90, 18F86J93,
18F8722, 18F87J10, 18F87J11, 18F87J50, 18F87J60, 18F87J72, 18F87J90, 18F87J93,
18F96J60, 18F96J65, 18F97J60,
24F04KA200, 24F04KA201, 24F08KA101, 24F08KA102, 24F16KA101, 24F16KA102,
24FJ16GA002, 24FJ16GA004, 24FJ32GA002, 24FJ32GA004, 24FJ32GA102,
24FJ32GA104, 24FJ32GB002, 24FJ32GB004, 24FJ48GA002, 24FJ48GA004,
24FJ64GA002, 24FJ64GA004, 24FJ64GA006, 24FJ64GA008, 24FJ64GA010,
24FJ64GA102, 24FJ64GA104, 24FJ64GA306, 24FJ64GA308, 24FJ64GA310,
24FJ64GB002, 24FJ64GB004, 24FJ64GB106, 24FJ64GB108, 24FJ64GB110,
24FJ64GC006, 24FJ64GC008, 24FJ64GC010, 24FJ96GA006, 24FJ96GA008,
24FJ96GA010, 24FJ128GA006, 24FJ128GA008, 24FJ128GA010, 24FJ128GA106,
24FJ128GA108, 24FJ128GA110, 24FJ128GA306, 24FJ128GA308, 24FJ128GA310,
24FJ128GB106, 24FJ128GB108, 24FJ128GB110, 24FJ128GB206, 24FJ128GB210,
24FJ128GC006, 24FJ128GC008, 24FJ128GC010, 24FJ128DA106, 24FJ128DA110,

24FJ128DA206, 24FJ128DA210, 24FJ192GA106, 24FJ192GA108, 24FJ192GA110,

24FJ192GB106, 24FJ192GB108, 24FJ192GB110, 24FJ256GA106, 24FJ256GA108,
24FJ256GA110, 24FJ256GB106, 24FJ256GB108, 24FJ256GB110, 24FJ256GB206,
24FJ256GB210, 24FJ256DA106, 24FJ256DA110, 24FJ256DA206, 24FJ256DA210,
24EP32GP202, 24EP32GP203, 24EP32GP204, 24EP32MC202, 24EP32MC203,
24EP32MC204, 24EP64GP202, 24EP64GP203, 24EP64GP204, 24EP64GP206,
24EP64MC202, 24EP64MC203, 24EP64MC204, 24EP64MC206, 24EP128GP202,
24EP128GP204, 24EP128GP206, 24EP128MC202, 24EP128MC204, 24EP128MC206,
24EP256GP202, 24EP256GP204, 24EP256GP206, 24EP256MC202, 24EP256MC204,
24EP256MC206, 24EP512GP202, 24EP512GP204, 24EP512GP206, 24EP512MC202,
24EP512MC204, 24EP512MC206,
24HJ12GP201, 24HJ12GP202, 24HJ16GP304, 24HJ32GP202, 24HJ32GP204,
24HJ32GP302, 24HJ32GP304, 24HJ64GP202, 24HJ64GP204, 24HJ64GP206,
24HJ64GP210, 24HJ64GP502, 24HJ64GP504, 24HJ64GP506, 24HJ64GP510,
24HJ128GP202, 24HJ128GP204, 24HJ128GP206, 24HJ128GP210, 24HJ128GP306,
24HJ128GP310, 24HJ128GP502, 24HJ128GP504, 24HJ128GP506, 24HJ128GP510,
24HJ256GP206, 24HJ256GP210, 24HJ256GP610,
30F1010, 30F2010, 30F2011, 30F2012, 30F2020, 30F2023, 30F3010, 30F3011, 30F3012,
30F3013, 30F3014, 30F4011, 30F4012, 30F4013, 30F5011, 30F5013, 30F5015, 30F5016,
30F6010, 30F6011, 30F6012, 30F6013, 30F6014, 30F6015,
33FJ06GS101, 33FJ06GS102, 33FJ06GS202, 33FJ12GP201, 33FJ12GP202, 33FJ12MC201,
33FJ12MC202, 33FJ16GP304, 33FJ16GS402, 33FJ16GS404, 33FJ16GS502, 33FJ16GS504,
33FJ16MC304, 33FJ32GP202, 33FJ32GP204, 33FJ32GP302, 33FJ32GP304, 33FJ32GS406,
33FJ32GS606, 33FJ32GS608, 33FJ32GS610, 33FJ32MC202, 33FJ32MC204,
33FJ32MC302, 33FJ32MC304, 33FJ64GP202, 33FJ64GP204, 33FJ64GP206, 33FJ64GP306,
33FJ64GP310, 33FJ64GP706, 33FJ64GP708, 33FJ64GP710, 33FJ64GP802, 33FJ64GP804,
33FJ64GS406, 33FJ64GS606, 33FJ64GS608, 33FJ64GS610, 33FJ64MC202, 33FJ64MC204,
33FJ64MC506, 33FJ64MC508, 33FJ64MC510, 33FJ64MC706, 33FJ64MC710,
33FJ64MC802, 33FJ64MC804, 33FJ128GP202, 33FJ128GP204, 33FJ128GP206,
33FJ128GP306, 33FJ128GP310, 33FJ128GP706, 33FJ128GP708, 33FJ128GP710,
33FJ128GP802, 33FJ128GP804, 33FJ128MC202, 33FJ128MC204, 33FJ128MC506,
33FJ128MC510, 33FJ128MC706, 33FJ128MC708, 33FJ128MC710, 33FJ128MC802,
33FJ128MC804, 33FJ256GP506, 33FJ256GP510, 33FJ256GP710, 33FJ256MC510,
33FJ256MC710,
33EP32GP502, 33EP32GP503, 33EP32GP504, 33EP32MC202, 33EP32MC203,
33EP32MC204, 33EP32MC502, 33EP32MC503, 33EP32MC504, 33EP64GP502,
33EP64GP503, 33EP64GP504, 33EP64GP506, 33EP64MC202, 33EP64MC203,
33EP64MC204, 33EP64MC206, 33EP64MC502, 33EP64MC503, 33EP64MC504,
33EP64MC506, 33EP128GP502, 33EP128GP504, 33EP128GP506, 33EP128MC202,
33EP128MC204, 33EP128MC206, 33EP128MC502, 33EP128MC504, 33EP128MC506,
33EP256GP502, 33EP256GP504, 33EP256GP506, 33EP256MC202, 33EP256MC204,
33EP256MC206, 33EP256MC502, 33EP256MC504, 33EP256MC506, 33EP512GP502,
33EP512GP504, 33EP512GP506, 33EP512MC202, 33EP512MC204, 33EP512MC206,
33EP512MC502, 33EP512MC504, 33EP512MC506,
AT90S1200, AT90S2313, AT90S8515, AT90S8535, ATmega48, ATmega8, ATmega88,
ATmega8515, ATmega8535, ATmega16, ATmega164, ATmega168, ATmega32,
ATmega324, ATmega328, ATmega64, ATmega644, ATmega1284,
ATtiny11, ATtiny12, ATtiny13, ATtiny2313, ATtiny24, ATtiny25, ATtiny26, ATtiny261,
ATtiny4313, ATtiny44, ATtiny45, ATtiny461, ATtiny48, ATtiny84, ATtiny85, ATtiny88,
ATtiny861,

2400, 2401, 2402, 2404, 2408, 2416, 2432, 2464, 24128, 24256, 24512, 241024, 241025,
25010, 25020, 25040, 25080, 25160, 25320, 25640, 25128, 25256, 25512, 251024,
95010, 95020, 95040, 95080, 95160, 95320, 95640, 95128, 95256, 95512, 95M01, 95M02,
251005, 252005, 254005, 258005, 251605, 25X05, 25X10, 25X20, 25X40, 25X80, 25X16,
25X32, 25X64, 25X128, 25Q40,
93S46, 93x46, 93x46A, 93S56, 93x56, 93x56A, 93S66, 93x66, 93x66A, 93x76, 93x76A,
93x86, 93x86A,
DS2430, DS2431, DS2433, DS28EC20, DS1820,
11010, 11020, 11040, 11080, 11160
devices supported for read only:
12C671, 12C672, 12CE673, 12CE674
Important!! Don't use 3.3V devices without the 3.3V expansion boards, otherwise permanent
damage may occur; the software verifies that such adapters are present before starting to
program, but obviously you need to select the proper device; the 3.3V devices are:
12F1xxx,16F1xxx,18FxxJxx,18FxxKxx,24Fxxx,24Hxxx,33Fxxx.
Some of them have 5V variants; if you need to program at 5V you can select the option "Don't
require LV boards". Also don't put any 24F-33F on the 30F socket, which works at 5V.

Communication protocol
To design a communication protocol we must take into account some often contrasting
requirements:
transfer speed and efficiency, code size, adaptability and expandability.
Differently from serial links, USB is packet based; a packet is received altogether, but HID
devices can only exchange them every ms, so it is out of question to manage timings directly
as with serial ports.
It's necessary to introduce synthetic commands that the microcontroller can use to recreate the
proper waveforms.
Furthermore, one objective of a reliable programmer is to be independent from the host speed
and CPU occupation, so the task of generating waveforms would anyways be given to the
microcontroller.
In general we can find two types of programmers: simple serial programmers only take
commands to change voltage levels; host software manages both timings and programming
algorithms but needs all the CPU time and is dramatically affected by other processes running
on the system.
At the other extreme are "smart" programmers, which autonomously manage timings and
algorithms, but must be updated to support new devices and tend to require much memory to
store code.
I chose a combination of both: ICSP (In Circuit Serial Programming) commands are
implemented in firmware, but the host software manages the algorithms.
In order to increase speed and efficiency some instructions correspond to sequences of
frequently repeated commands, such as sequential reads.
The advantage of this approach is that timings are very precise, while the extreme variety of
algorithms does not increase the firmware code size.
Another advantage is that once the basic commands are verified the development of
algorithms is done on the PC, without the need for frequent firmware updates.
For example, this is the sequence used to enter program mode for 16F628 and read DevID:

SET_PARAMETER
SET_T1T2
1
100
EN_VPP_VCC
0x0
SET_CK_D
0x0
EN_VPP_VCC
0x4
NOP
EN_VPP_VCC
0x5
NOP
LOAD_CONF
0xFF
0xFF
INC_ADDR_N
0x06
READ_DATA_PROG
...

//set delays to be used by other instructions

//T1 & T2
//T1=1us
//T2=100us
//Vpp & Vcc = 0
//Clock and Data as output and 0
//Vpp enabled
//small delay
//Vdd+Vpp enabled
//small delay
//program counter to 0x2000
//fake config
//fake config
//increment address by 6
//read DevID

In addition to ICSP commands other instructions manage the programmer, control

programming voltages, execute precise delays, communicate via I2C or SPI bus.
Every instruction is executed in at least 40 us, due to the interpreter loop execution time.
ICSP commands use T1 or T2 as values for delays; all instructions return an echo, with the
exception of FLUSH, which immediately sends the output buffer and stops the execution of
current packet.
In case an instruction doesn't have enough parameters it returns an error (0xFE) and the
execution of current packet is halted.
The state of USB connection is signaled by LED2: it blinks at 4 Hz during enumeration, at 1
Hz in normal operation.
LED1 shows when there are instructions being executed.
Following is the list of all instructions:
Instruction

Value Parameters Answer

Notes

NOP

0x00 none

echo

no operation

PROG_RST

0x01 none

echo + 10B

programmer reset; sends fw version

(3B), ID (3B), " RST" string

PROG_ID

0x02 none

echo+ 6B

sends fw version (3B), ID (3B)

CHECK_INS

0x03 1B

echo + 1B

if specified instruction exists returns

its code, otherwise returns error
(0xFE)

FLUSH

0x04 none

none

flushes output buffer (sends 64B)

and stops command interpreter for
the current packet.

VREG_EN

0x05 none

echo

turns on the voltage regulator

VREG_DIS

0x06 none

echo

turns off the voltage regulator

sets internal parameters; byte1:
parameter to change, byte 2-3 value:

SET_PARAMETER

0x07 1B

echo

SET_T1T2 (=0):
T1 & T2
SET_T3 (=1):
T3(H,L)
SET_timeout (=2): timeout(H,L)
SET_MN (=3):
M, N

WAIT_T1

0x08 none

echo

waits T1 us (1us default)

WAIT_T2

0x09 none

echo

waits T2 us (100us default)

WAIT_T3

0x0A none

echo

waits T3 us (2ms default)

WAIT_US

0x0B 1B

echo

waits N us

echo +2B

reads regulator voltage (effective

10bits, MSB-LSB); considering the
input divider, voltage in V is
<value>/1024*5*34/12

echo +1B

sets regulator voltage to

<parameter>/10;
if error is < 200 mV within 15ms
returns <parameter>, otherwise
error (0xFE)

echo

controls Vpp and Vcc on the

programmed device; 1 bit for level
(0-1), 1bit for impedance (keep at
0);
bit 0-1: Vcc, bit 2-3: Vpp

echo

controls CK, D, PGM on the

programmed device; 1 bit for level
(0-1), 1bit for impedance (lowhigh);
bit 0-1: D, bit 2-3: CK, bit 4-5:
PGM

echo +1B

reads the state of control lines, 1 bit

level (0-1), 1bit impedence (lowhigh);
bit 0-1: D, bit 2-3: CK, bit 4-5:
PGM

echo

ICSP command: Load configuration

(000000), T1 us between command
and data; 14 bit data (right aligned,
MSB-LSB)

READ_ADC

SET_VPP

EN_VPP_VCC

SET_CK_D

READ_PINS

LOAD_CONF

0x0C none

0x0D 1B

0x0E 1B

0x0F 1B

0x10 none

0x11 2B

LOAD_DATA_PROG

0x12 2B

echo

ICSP command: Load Data in

Program Memory (000010), T1 us
between command and data; 14 bit
data (right aligned, MSB-LSB)

LOAD_DATA_DATA

0x13 1B

echo

ICSP command: Load Data in Data

Memory (000011), T1 us between

command and data; 8 bit data
READ_DATA_PROG

0x14 none

echo +2B

ICSP command: Read Data from

Program Memory (000100), T1 us
between command and data; 14 bit
data (right aligned, MSB-LSB)

READ_DATA_DATA

0x15 none

echo +1B

ICSP command: Read Data from

Data Memory (000101), T1 us
between command and data; 8 bit
data

INC_ADDR

0x16 none

echo

ICSP command: Increment Address

(000110), T1 us delay at the end

INC_ADDR_N

0x17 1B

echo

ICSP command: Increment Address

(000110), T1 us delay at the end;
repeated N times

BEGIN_PROG

0x18 none

echo

ICSP command: Begin

Programming (001000)

BULK_ERASE_PROG

0x19 none

echo

ICSP command: Bulk Erase

Program Memory (001001)

END_PROG

0x1A none

echo

ICSP command: End Programming

(001010)

BULK_ERASE_DATA

0x1B none

echo

ICSP command: Bulk Erase Data

Memory (001011)

END_PROG2

0x1C none

echo

ICSP command: End Programming

(001110)

ROW_ERASE_PROG

0x1D none

echo

ICSP command: Row Erase

Program Memory (010001)

BEGIN_PROG2

0x1E none

echo

ICSP command: Begin

Programming (0011000)

CUST_CMD

0x1F 1B

echo

ICSP command specified in the

parameter

PROG_C

0x20 2B

echo +1B

Programs a word following 12Cxxx

algorithm: 000010, 001000, 001110,
M pulses & N overpulses

CORE_INS

0x21 2B

echo

PIC18 ICSP command: Core

instruction (0000); 16 bit data
(MSB-LSB)

SHIFT_TABLAT

0x22 none

echo +1B

PIC18 ICSP command: Shift

TABLAT (0010); 8 bit data

TABLE_READ

0x23 none

echo +1B

PIC18 ICSP command: Table read

(1000); 8 bit data

TBLR_INC_N

0x24 1B

echo+N+NB PIC18 ICSP command: Table read

post-inc (1001); 8 bit data; repeats

N times; returns N and NB data
TABLE_WRITE

TBLW_INC_N

TBLW_PROG

0x25 2B

0x26 (2N+1)B

0x27 4B

echo

PIC18 ICSP command: Table write

(1100); 16 bit data (MSB-LSB)

echo

PIC18 ICSP command: Table write

post-inc (1101); 16 bit data (MSBLSB); repeats N times (N is the first
parameter)

echo

PIC18 ICSP command: Table write

and program (1111); 16 bit data
(MSB-LSB); also executes a NOP
with a delay specified in
parameters 3-4 (in us)

TBLW_PROG_INC

0x28 4B

echo

PIC18 ICSP command: Table write

and program post-inc (1110); 16 bit
data (MSB-LSB); also executes
a NOP with a delay specified in
parameters 3-4 (in us)

SEND_DATA

0x29 3B

echo

PIC18 ICSP command specified in

byte 1; sends 16 bit data (MSBLSB)

READ_DATA

0x2A 1B

echo+1B

PIC18 ICSP command specified in

byte 1; reads 8 bit data

echo

Initializes I2C communication:

0xFF disables I2C;
bit 6: slew rate control for speed >
100kbps;
bit 5:3 speed: 0=100k, 1=200k,
2=400k, 3=800k, 4=1M; attention:
use pull-up resistors according to
selected speed;
bit 2:0: logic level of A2-A1-A0 (on
device)
Reads <parameter 1> bytes from
I2C bus using <parameter 2> as
control byte and <parameter 3> as
address; forces automatically the
RW bit in the control byte.
Responds with <parameter 1> +
Data or with ACK_ERR (0xFD) in
case of acknowledge error (eg. if
there are no devices on the bus)

I2C_INIT

0x2B 1B

I2C_READ

0x2C 3B

echo+1+NB

I2C_WRITE

0x2D 3B+NB

echo

Writes <parameter 1> bytes to I2C

bus using <parameter 2> as control
byte and <parameter 3> as address;
forces automatically the RW bit in

the control byte. Responds

with ACK_ERR (0xFD) in case of
acknowledge error (eg. if there are
no devices on the bus).
For 2 byte addresses just use the
2nd byte of address as the first byte
of data.
I2C_READ2

SPI_INIT

0x2E 4B

0x2F 1B

echo+1+NB

Reads from I2C bus; identical to

I2C_READ, but uses 2 bytes for
addressing

echo

Initializes SPI communication:

0xFF disables SPI
bit 1:0 speed: 0=100kbps,
1=200kbps, 2=300kbps, 3=500kbps
bit 2:3 SPI mode

SPI_READ

0x30 1B

echo+1+NB

Reads <parameter 1> bytes from

SPI bus. Returns <parameter 1> +
Data;
If <parameter 1>=0 returns the byte
that was last received (during either
read or write)

SPI_WRITE

0x31 1B+NB

echo+1B

Writes <parameter 1> bytes to SPI

bus.

0x32 2B

echo

Forces levels of communication

ports:
<parameter 1> = <RB7:RB0>
<parameter 2> =
<RC7,RC6,RA5:RA3>
Does not change signal direction.

0x33 3B

ATMEL command: read program

memory (0010H000); reads
echo+1+2NB <parameter 1> words at address
<parameter 2> : <parameter 3> via
SPI. Returns <parametro 1> + Data

EXT_PORT

AT_READ_DATA

AT_LOAD_DATA

CLOCK_GEN

0x34 3B+2N

0x35 1B

echo+1B

ATMEL command: load program

memory page (0100H000); loads
<parameter 1> words at address
<parameter 2> : <parameter 3> via
SPI. Returns <parameter 1>

echo

Generates a clock signal on RB3

(using CCP1-2 and TIMER1)
bit 2:0 frequency: 0=100kHz,
1=200kHz, 2=500kHz, 3=1MHz,
4=2MHz, 5=3MHz, 6=6MHz;
Disables PWM1 output (DCDC
regulator)

SIX

SIX_LONG

SIX_LONG5

0x36 3B

0x3E 3B

0x49 3B

echo

PIC24 ICSP command: Core

instruction (0000); 24 bit data
(MSB first)

echo

PIC24 ICSP command: Core

instruction (0000); 24 bit data
(MSB first); appends 2 ICSP_NOP
at the end

echo

PIC24 ICSP command: Core

instruction (0000); 24 bit data
(MSB first); appends 5 ICSP_NOP
at the end

SIX_N

0x3F 1+3NB

echo

PIC24 ICSP command: Core

instruction (0000); N * 24 bit data
(MSB first); sends N instructions
and adds M ICSP_NOP after each
one; N=<parameter1>&0x3F,
M=<parameter1> >>6

REGOUT

0x37 none

echo +2B

PIC24 ICSP command: Shift out

VISI register (0001); 16 bit data

ICSP_NOP

0x38 none

echo

PIC24 ICSP command: Execute

NOP (0000)

TX16

0x39 1+2NB

echo+1B

Transmits 16 bit words over ICSP

(MSB first); clock period: 2*(T11)+1 us

RX16

0x3A 1B

Receives 16 bit words over ICSP

echo+1+2NB (MSB first); clock period: 2*(T11)+1 us

uW_INIT

0x3B none

echo

Initializes MicroWire
communication

uW_TX

0x3C 1B+NB

echo+1B

Writes <parameter 1> bits to

MicroWire bus.
Data is specified MSB first

uW_RX

0x3D 1B

echo+1+NB

Reads <parameter 1> bits from

MicroWire bus. Returns <parameter
1> + Data, MSB first

OW_RESET

0x40 no

echo+1B

OneWire Reset pulse; detects the

slave presence pulse: 1=present
0=absent

OW_WRITE

0x41 1B+NB

echo

Writes <parameter 1> bytes on the

OneWire bus

OW_READ

0x42 1B

echo+1+NB

Reads <parameter 1> bytes from the

OneWire bus

UNIO_STBY

0x43 no

echo

UNIO standby pulse

0x44 1B+1B+NB echo+1+NB

Executes a UNIO communication

cycle: writes <parameter 1> bytes
and reads <parameter 2> bytes;
generates a synchronization byte if
there are bytes to write

SET_PORT_DIR

0x45 2B

echo

Sets the direction on the IO ports

(0=out, 1=in):
<parameter 1> = <RB7:RB0>
<parameter 2> =
<RC7,RC6,RA5:RA3>

READ_B

0x46 no

echo+1B

Reads IO port B

READ_AC

0x47 no

echo+1B

Reads IO ports A and C:

<RC7,RC6,RA5:RA3>

UNIO_COM

AT_HV_RTX

0x48 1B+2NB

echo+1B

Sends 2N*8 bits on RB0/RC7

(PB1/PB0), with CLK on RC6
(PB3)
byte N=PB1, byte N+1=PB0
Receives 8 bits from RB1 (PB2)
(only the last byte)

READ_RAM

0xF0 2B

echo+3B

Reads from host memory; 16 bit

address, 8 bit data; echoes address

WRITE_RAM

0xF1 3B

echo+3B

Writes to host memory; 16 bit

address, 8 bit data; echoes address
and data

none

Resets instruction pointer and

executes all instructions again.
For test purposes only.

LOOP

0xF2 none

The circuit (v1.7)

The project is based on a 28 pin 18F2550; about 8.5 KWords are used, so it will fit
confortably into the smaller 2455.
The 2458 and 2553 have a 12 bit ADC, so only recompilation is required.
Up to version 0.8.0 I adapted the code to the 2450; since this model lacks the MSSP module I
used a software implementation of I2C and SPI; it also lacks the second PWM channel,
therefore it can't generate the clock for Atmel chips (for those that are configured with
external clock); in this case RB3 can be used to turn on an external oscillator (which would be
inserted in a modified Atmel expansion board).
The use of the corresponding 40 pin devices (4450, 4455, 4458, 4550, 4553) requires
modification of the PCB.
In order to implement an USB pheripheral with a PIC micro we need very few components:
the main microcontroller, a quartz, some capacitors, and a USB type B receptacle, exactly as
written in application notes from Microchip.
To be able to program PIC devices we need two digital lines for clock and data and two
supply voltages, VCC and VPP, which are controlled using three transistors; VPP comes from

a switching voltage regulator formed by Q4, L1, D3 which is described later.

Schematic diagram of main module:

PCB of main module:

Many components are optional, are only needed to program some types of devices or for
future applications: expansion connectors CONN2-3, protection resistors R11:23 (considering
their cost why not use them?), I2C pull-up resistors R26-27, S1 switch, ICSP-IN CONN4
(right now it's used to program the main microcontroller without extracting it).
The pcb was optimized to fit the solder side, however a few jumpers are needed on the
component side; if you want you can avoid that by using a double side pcb.
Pay attention to the orientation of transistors: Q1's emitter to the left, Q2 up, Q3 and Q4 right.
Once connected to the PC, a working circuit blinks D2 at 4Hz until the enumeration is
completed, then at 1Hz.
To verify that everything is working correctly use the "Hardware Test" function in the control

program: in this mode, to be executed without target devices, all the outputs (CK, D, PGM,
VDDU, VPPU, which can be reached on pins 14-15-12-1-4 of U3, with respect to GND, pin
5) are activated in various combinations; if the measured voltages correspond to what is
presented on screen then the hardware is correctly assembled.
VPP voltage could be different from the set value by up to 1V; this is due to the fact that the
DCDC converter takes VCC as reference voltage; the latter comes from the USB cable and
can vary from 4.75V to 5.25V; in addition the feedback voltage divider (R1-R2) can introduce
another 5% of error.
The most common causes of malfunction are:
incorrect orientation of transistors,
incorrect inductor value,
pcb defects like shorts or opens,
unsoldered capacitors,
main microcontrollorer not programmed or incorrectly programmed (with LVP option).
Component list:
U1 12Mhz quartz (also 4, 8, 16, 20; reconfiguration of input divider options is required)
U2 18F2550 (also 2450,2455,2458,2553,4450,4455,4458,4550,4553)
U3 20p socket.
U4 8p socket.
Q1-2 BC557 (or any PNP, pay attention to polarity)
Q3-4 BC547 (or any NPN, pay attention to polarity)
D1-2 LED
D3 1N4148 (or any diode, better if Shottky)
L1 100uH resistor type or other
R1 22K
R2 12K
R3 100K
R4:6 10K
R7 1M
R8-9 2.2K
R10 10K
R11:23 100
R24-25 330K
R26-27 10K
C1 22-100uF 25V
C2-3 22pF
C4 >= 220nF
C5 100nF
C6 10uF
C7-8 100nF
CONN1 USB type B
CONN2-3 10 pin female stripline
CONN4 5 pin stripline
How to use
The basic circuit can host PIC devices with 8, 14, 18, and 20 pins (except 10Fxxx); they
should be inserted in U3 with alignment to pin1:

I2C and UNIO memories go in U4.

One-Wire devices in TO92 package can also be connected on U4: GND lead goes to RB1 (pin
6), IO lead to RB0 (pin 5).
I plan to make an adapter for 10Fxxx with 6 or 8 pins; in the meantime it's possible to get by
using wires.
Other devices can be programmed using expansion boards plugged to connectors CONN2-3
(but they're not required for basic operation):

28-40 pin PICs + ICSP connector

8-20 pin PICs (same as main board, but there's more space for a ZIF socket) + ICSP
conn.

3.3V PIC16-18 + ICSP conn. (this board has also a 3.3V regulator)

PIC24-30-33 + ICSP conn. (this board has also a 3.3V regulator)

I2C, SPI, uW memories and I2C-SPI conn.

8-14-20-28-40 pin ATMEL micros and I2C-SPI conn

ST72 (future)

Components for the expansion boards are indicated in the schematic diagram; diodes can be
of any kind; TBD resistors should not be mounted.
In assembling the adapters I suggest to insert the expansion connectors from the component
side, and keep their plastic spacer on that side; this improves the solder strength, especially
during extraction.
In case of 3.3V devices, the presence of a 3.3V adapter (which has RB1 and RB0 shorted) is
checked by the software in order to avoid irreversible damage.
The 16F1xxx could be programmed also without such adapter (only the 16LF1xxx need it),
but the check is present for both so there is no chance of confusion.
Due to the impossibility of erasing dsPIC30 protection registers at 3.3V, these devices are
now powered at 5V; who already made the adapter (prior to v. 1.7) can easily modify it.
The following images show how to insert various target devices in the expansion boards:

Smaller devices have to be aligned to pin 1 of the respective socket, for example 8 pin PICs in
the 20p. socket, or the ATTiny2313 in the 28p. socket.
Target chips can also be programmed in circuit by routing ICSP signals
(VPPU,VDDU,ICD,ICK,GND) to the application board; these signals are present in the main
module expansion connectors or in some expansion boards as a discrete connector; note that
low voltage devices require ICSP signals from a low voltage expansion board.
In order to use SPI Flash memories it's necessary to modify the EEPROM adapter to lower the
supply voltage to 3.3V; below is the schematic diagram:

The ICSP-IN connector is used to program the main micro without extracting it, by means of

another programmer.
ATTENTION: the ATMEL AVR board has presently a bug that prevents 28 pin devices (eg.
ATMega8) from entering program mode when they are not configured with the internal
oscillator.
In order to share the same socket with 20 pin devices (eg. ATTiny2313), pin 10 is forced to
VSS; but this pin corresponds to X2 in the bigger devices, and has to be floating when the
oscillator is external.
To fix the bug it's sufficient to keep X2 floating, in one of the following ways:
a) bend pin 10 outwards on the target device so that it stays out of the socket.
b) cut the trace between pin 10 and VSS, but reconnect it when using 20 pin devices.

In the future the adapter board will be modified including a jumper to short pin 10 to VSS.
Pin mapping of various connectors in the main and expansion boards:

Map of resources used:

Pin

Various
functions

ICSP

RB7

PGM

RB6

ICSP
clock

RB5

ICSP
data

I2CEEPROM

SPIEEPROM

SPIATMEL

A2

uWOneWire/UNIO
EEPROM

W (6)

RB4

A1

HLD

RB3

A0

CS

S (1)
Device

PRE (7)

clock
RB2 expansion
RB1

Clock

Clock

SPI Clock

Clock

RB0

Data

Data out
(MISO)

Data out
(MISO)

Data out

Data in
(MOSI)

Data in
(MOSI)

Data in

WP

RESET

RC7
RC6

WP

RC5

USB D+

RC4

USB D-

RC2

DCDC
PWM

RC1

controls
VDD

RC0

controls
VPP

Data IO

RA5 expansion
RA4 expansion
RA3 expansion
RA2

LED 2

RA1

LED 1

RA0

ADC for
regulator

RE3

S1 switch

The schematic diagram was drawn with Gschem, an open source program that comes with
GEDA suite.
In their website it's not evident (as they all use linux), but it's also possible to run the program
in windows under cygwin; I suggest to use the latest version (you need to compile sources).
PCBs were drawn with PCB; in this case there is also a (somewhat limited) windows version.
With a little effort the circuit can also be mounted on experimental boards, without pcb.
Schematic diagram of base module: .pdf, .png; expansion boards: .pdf; everything in gschem
format: Oprog.sch
Pcb of main module: .pdf, .png; main module + expansion boards: .pdf (also mirrored), .png;
everything in PCB format: Oprog.pcb
Complete archive, includes sources, gerber, pdf, png
How to program the main micro the first time?

This is an interesting problem: a new device can't work as programmer, so it must be

programmed in some way.
Apart from asking someone else to do it for you, my advice is to build one of those serial
programmers, like JDM, to do the job the first time.
It may seem strange to use a programmer to build another one, but there is no way to interface
USB without firmware; I think the effort is worth it because serial programmers are not very
reliable, are slow, and of course not portable to new computers that lack serial ports.
Make sure you program the device correctly and do not enable the LVP bit (low voltage
programming); this reserves RB5 for program mode entry and RB6-RB7 for communication,
and the result is a non functioning programmer.
It would also be a good idea to buy a backup micro, in order to program it with updated
firmware versions.
The main circuit and some expansion boards (28-40p PIC, 8-20p PIC with ZIF, 3.3V PIC1618, 3.3V PIC24-30-33, EEPROM, ATMEL):

Expansion board connected to the main circuit:

OneWire device in TO92 package:

Switching voltage regulator

In order to generate a voltage higher than 5V we need a boost switching converter.
On the market there are thousands of single chip solutions, but I used instead the
microcontroller itself and a few external components.
The width of output pulses will vary to keep the output voltage stable over all operating
conditions.
In practice this is a digitally controlled regulator, as shown in the following diagram:

The ADC converter presently uses the 5V supply as a reference, so the output voltage will
follow it; it is possible to connect an external reference to RA3 to improve the overall
precision.
Switching frequency is 90 kHz, which is well over the cutoff frequency of the output LC filter
(~2,3 kHz).
The performance is limited by losses due to the transistor, diode, inductor, but since the load
is very low we can use low-cost (even recycled) components; to improve load capability
switch to a better transistor, a Shottky diode, a higher rated inductor.
Anyways, in order to design a suitable regulator (block C above) it's necessary to work in s
domain and model the converter itself; this has fortunately been done already, some info is
available for example here.
With present component values the boost converter operates in dicontinuous mode; critical
current is:
Icrit=Vu*T/(16*L)=86 mA
well over expected load, supposed to be 1 mA.
Other parameters:
Vi=5
Vu=12.5
D=(Vu-Vi)/Vo
L=100e-6
C=47e-6
I=1e-3
R=12/I
Rl=1.6 (inductor series resistance)
T=1/90e3
vu
1
vu
M-1
Vu
2M -1
--- = Gdo ---------- where Gdo = 2 --- ------- , M = ---, wp =
---------D
1 + s/wp
D
2M -1
Vi
(M-1)
RC
Transfer function results to be:
vu
127.58
-- = ------------D
0.22031 s + 1

Which has the following Bode diagram:

It seems that the system, in closed loop, would be stable even by itself; however it would have
a steady state error of 1/DCgain.
It's better to use a controller with a pole on the origin and a zero to stabilize everything, for
example the following controller:
D
0.25 (s + 50)
C = --- = ------------err
s
Overall transfer function would be:
vu
144.77 s + 7238.4
-- = ----------------vi
s2 + 4.539 s
The system is stable, with a phase margin of ~75.
Since we operate in the digital domain we must choose the sampling frequency.
It can't be too high because of execution speed; if too low it limits the regulator bandwidth; a
period of 250 us was a good compromise.
The various transfer functions are converted to z domain using bilinear transformation:
vu
0.018199 z2+ 0.00022607 z - 0.017973
-- = -----------------------------------vi
z2 - 1.9989 z + 0.99887
The controller is:
D
0.25156*z - 0.24844
C1 - C2 z-1
C = --- = ------------------- = ----------err
z - 1
1 -z-1

Remember that z-1 represents a delay of one clock cycle.

Next we must deal with quantization and calculation errors.
A/D converter is 10 bits wide, and is triggered by timer2; at the end of conversion an interrupt
calls the regulation routine, which calculates the new duty cycle for the PWM peripheral, also
10 bits wide.
On the feedback path it's necessary to include a voltage divider in order to limit ADC input
voltage to [0,5V]; R1 and R2 do this.
So the block diagram is modified as follows:

a=12/34
Vu=C'H(Vi-aVu)
Vu
C'H
-- = -----Vi
1+aC'H
To compare with the previous model we can multiply both terms by a; simply remembering to
change the set point we can decide that the new input is Vi/a, and equate with the previous
expression:
Vu
aC'H
CH
---- = ------ = ---Vi/a
1+aC'H
1+CH
aC'=C
aC1' - aC2' z-1
C1 - C2 z-1
aC'= --------------=
C
=
-----------1 - z-1
1 - z-1
aC1'=C1
aC2'=C2
Since the hardware works with 10 bit digital data we can go from D/err to pwm/[err]:
[err]=err*1024/5
pwm=D*1024
D
pwm/1024
pwm
C1' - C2'z-1
C'= --- = ------------ = ------- = -----------err
[err]/1024*5
[err]*5
1 -z-1
pwm(1 - z-1)=[err](5*C1/a - 5*C2/a z-1)=[err](3.564 - 3.52 z-1)
It's clear that integer multiplications can't be used with these coefficients; the easiest solution

is to work with fractional values (i.e. divide output by 2N and multiply coefficients
accordingly); considering that pwm output is 10 bits wide and left-aligned, we can easily
work with values divided by 64.
pwm(1 - z-1)=[err](k1 - k2 z-1)/64
k1=5C1/a*64=228.12 ~ 228
k2=5C2/a*64=225.25 ~ 225
Following are step responses of continuous-time system (blue), discrete-time system (red),
discrete-time system with approximate cefficients (green); As you can see they're almost
coincident.

For all calculations I used Octave, an open source mathematical modeling tool; version 3 has
just been released, and it can be used also under the famous windows (almost)operating
system.
If someone is interested these are the modeling scripts I used.
The real code for the control function was written in assembly; this is necessary for
performance reasons.
In fact our C compiler calls a library function to perform multiplications, so it has to save
many variables on the stack causing a delay; in this case the resulting execution time had
reached 50 us, which is a significant fraction of the sampling period.
Instead, by avoiding function calls and manually coding the 16x8 bit multiplication (see k1 &
k2), the execution time is down to 12 us.
Some real waveforms:

Power-up transient, 50 ms/div

Step response to load change (load on top trace, AC coupled output on bottom tr.), 50ms/div

Step response to set point change (from 11,5 to 12,5 V), 50 ms/div

How to contribute
The best way to contribute to this project is to build it, use it, and report bugs or suggestions.
Also there are still many devices to test; check the list in supported devices.
Whoever has the know-how and patience can also expand support to other devices.
Or if you have a device that is not supported you can send it to me so that I can work on it.
If you find this project useful write me a couple of lines:
, and if
you modified it show me your work.
On SourceForge you can find some forums where you can discuss about this project; you
could also recommend it or write a (hopefully positive) review.

Downloads
Schematic diagram and pcb: complete archive.
Firmware: complete MPLAB project or compiled firmware (.hex) or a version for 18F2450
(0.8.0) (with reduced functionality, see the circuit).
opgui (GTK GUI for Linux & Windows): sources or application
OpenProg (windows): application only; sources (Visual Studio 6 workspace)
OP (command-line for Linux & Windows)
OpenProg and Opgui user's guide
Octave scripts

History
a long time
need for a reliable and free USB programmer
ago
2007
experiments with USB PIC and varionus firmwares; voltage regulator
2008
first prototypes and software
July 2008
documentation and website, released version 0.3
August 2008 version 0.4: added support for I2C EEPROMs
November
version 0.5: I2C & SPI bus, added some ATMEL devices
2008
January 2009 control programs v0.5.1: added some PIC devices, removed some bugs
control programs v0.5.2 and v0.5.3: added some PIC an Atmel devices,
March 2009
removed some bugs
April 2009 schematic diagram and pcb v1.4: changed Atmel adapter
June 2009
version 0.6: fully GPL2 USB firmware, added 93Sx6 MicroWire EEPROMs
September
version 0.6.1: solved some SPI bugs, added some Atmel devices and 93Cx6C
2009
October
control programs v0.6.2: bugfix
2009
version 0.7.0: added PIC24 and SPI EEPROMs;
January 2010
circuits v1.5: expansion board for 3.3V PIC24-30-33
February
control programs v0.7.1: added some PIC18 and Atmel devices; bugfix
2010
March 2010 control programs v0.7.2: added some MicroWire eeproms; bugfix

control programs v0.7.3: added PIC16F1xxx; OP works in windows; code

April 2010 rework and bugfix;
circuits v1.6: expansion board for 3.3V PIC16-18
control programs v0.7.4: added PIC18FxJx, PIC18FxKx, PIC24H, dsPIC30May 2010
33, ATtiny2313, 241024; bugfix;
circuits v1.7: modified PIC24-30-33 expansion board, PIC30 now at 5V
control programs v0.7.5: corrected write bug for 18Fx config, added "goto
June 2010
ICD" write for 16Fx, various minor fixes
firmware v0.7.6: modified TX16 and RX16 with variable period for
communication with ICD;
July 2010
control programs v0.7.6: byte by byte read with 93xx6 for better compatibility;
first release of pdb debugger (v0.1);
control programs v0.7.7: added 16F72x, some minor fixes;
August 2010
circuits v1.7.1: reduced value of R173 on the PIC16/18 LV expansion board
control programs v0.7.8: updated algorithms for 16F87xA and 16F62xA,
16F1822 becomes 12F1822, added 30F1010, 30F2020, 30F2023, 16F1847,
April 2011
12F1840 16F1516, 16F1517, 16F1518, 16F1519, 16F1526, 16F1527;
greater modularity for source code, corrcted some bugs
control programs v0.7.9: added ATtiny11-12-24-26-261-44-48-461-4313-8488-861, ATmega48-88-164A-168-324A-328-644A-1284, 16LF1902-3-4-6-7,
June 2011
various minor modifications and fixes;
new graphical interface based on GTK for Linux and Windows
control programs v0.7.10: added 12F617,12F1501,16F1503-7-8-9,16F72021,16F72,16F707,
18F13K22,18F14K22,18F23K22,18F43K22,18F24K22,18F44K22,18F25K22,
January 2012 18F45K22,18F26K22,18F46K22,18F8520,18F66J60,18F66J65,18F67J60,
18F86J60,18F86J65,18F87J60,18F96J60,18F96J65,18F97J60, fixed read/write
binary files, various corrections, added support for in-circuit debugging in
OPGUI
firmware v0.8.0: support for One-Wire and UNIO;
control programs v0.8.0: added DS2430,DS2431,DS2433,DS28EC20,DS1820;
11010-20-40-80-160;
July 2012
251005,252005,254005,258005,251605,25X10,25X20,25X40,25X80,
25X16,25X32,25X64; 16F1782-3-4-6-7,12C508-9; corrected write for
24x1024/5 and 251024;
control programs v0.8.1: various user interface improvements; fixed EEPROM
write when code protection is active (16F83-84,12F629, 12F675,16F627June 2013
28,16F630,16F676,16F870-1-2,16F873-74,16F876-77); fixed read of files >
1MB; modified prog mode entry for AVR; fixed write of 93Sx6 with
protection;
March 2014 firmware v0.9.0: support for ATMEL HV serial programming;
new command for PIC24/33; improved DCDC regulator;
control programs v0.9.0: Write16F72x requires only config-word 1;
added HV serial programming for ATtiny11-12-13-24-25-44-45-84-85;
added 24FJ64GA3xx-GCxx,24FJ128GA3xx-GB2xx-GCxxDAxx,24FJ256DAxx,24EPx,33EPx;
added 95xx SPI EEPROM,25X05 FLASH;
added 12F1571-72,16F527,16F753,16F1454-55-59;

November
2014

the future

some code rework & minor improvements;

control programs v0.9.1: various user interface improvements; fixed
verification of ATTiny11-12; fixed 24FJ128GA3xx-GB2xx-GCxx-DAxx;
added: config force for PIC18, IO lines hardware test, AVR auto speed
communication, AVR write fuse @ 3kHz; faster write verification for SPI
FLASH memories;
added 10F320-22,12F529T39A,12F752,12F1612-13-14-15-18-19, 16F151213,16F1574-75-78-79,16F1703-04-05-07-08-09-13-16-17-18-19, 16F178889,16F570,16LF1554-59, 18F24K50-25K50-26K50-45K50-46K50,
18F25K80-26K80-45K80-46K80-65K80-66K80, 18F63J11-90,18F64J1190,18F65J10-11-15-50-90, 18F66J10-11-15-16-50-55-90-93,18F67J10-11-5090-93, 18F83J11-90,18F84J11-90,18F85J10-11-15-50-90, 18F86J10-11-15-1650-55-90-93,18F87J10-11-50-72-90-93, 25X128,25Q40
increase support for PIC and ATMEL micros (as soon as I can get free
samples); add ST72, JTAG, parallel memories; expand ICD support; compile
firmware also with SDCC

Links
Open Programmer on SourceForge
USB 2.0 standard
HID page on USB.org
pdb, a simple ICD debugger for PIC16
Quick guide to a HID firmware
USB Central
USB & PIC
Microchip
Atmel
hiddev documentation
Winpic
ICprog
Octave
gEDA-Gschem
PCB
GNU/GPL
Piklab IDE for PIC microcontrollers
USBPicprog, another open source programmer
Cygwin, a linux environment inside windows

Contacts
For informations or comments:
Alberto Maccioni
You can also post your questions on the forum on sourceforge.

Thanks

I'd like to thank all the people that contributed to the growth of this project, in particular:
Anselmo for helping with linux/git, Sandro for the highly professional PCBs, Alessandro for
testing many devices, Ken for testing many AVR devices, Luigi for testing OneWire
memories, Mihaly for testing SPI Flash memories.

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